1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a cooling device for cooling heat generated at an optical element, an optical module provided with the same, and a projecting device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as a projector (i.e., a projecting device) has had a higher luminance, a laser beam focused on a reflection surface of a reflection type optical element such as a digital mirror device (hereinafter abbreviated as a “DMD”) has had a higher output. In this manner, the amount of heat generated at the DMD is increased, and therefore, the heat generation may cause a failure of the DMD.
Moreover, since an optical part such as a prism is disposed on the side of the reflection surface of the DMD inside of the projector, it is difficult to dispose a cooling mechanism or the like in the vicinity of the reflection surface of the DMD.
For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-32945 discloses a heat radiating device for a DMD element, in which a metallic flat plate having high heat conductivity is brought into contact with a plane forming the intermediate portion of the DMD element on the side of the reflection surface of the DMD element so as to absorb heat.
However, the above-described conventional heat radiating device for the DMD element has had the following problem.
That is to say, in the heat radiating device disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-32945, the metallic flat plate having high heat conductivity is brought into contact with the plane substantially parallel to the reflection surface of the DMD element on the side of the reflection surface of the DMD element so as to absorb the heat. However, with this configuration, it cannot be said that the heat generated at the DMD element having an increased amount of generated heat can be effectively cooled.